The Gayle Bradley Folder is a very hefty, well designed Folding Knife. The liners are thick on both sides of the handle. The blade material is top notch Crucible CPM-M4 Carbon Steel - not Stainless. This is a Tool Steel that has over 6 times the wear resistance of D-2 Steel at the same hardness.

For those not familiar with Gayle Bradley, he produces handmade folders and fixed-blades. He’s a Texan who started making custom knives in 1988 and when customers discovered his handmades, his reputation mushroomed, tagging him as a knifemaker who focused on building exceptional knives for hard-use. We believe you will find his Spyderco collaboration impressive not only in its performance abilities but in it’s fine appearance as well.

His first collaboration with a production company we’re glad to say is with Spyderco. The C134 Gayle Bradley Folder pulls together his reputational forte; anteing up a hard-use folder design to which Spyderco added an exotic and premium blade steel and an unexpected touch of gentrification.

The blade is hollow-ground satin finished Crucible Steel CPM-M4. Original M4 made its good name as a tool steel with high resistance to impact. Crucible’s version incorporates their CPM-powdered metal manufacturing process with M4 creating a superfine, consistent steel-grain structure heightening its’ already impressive impact resistance even more. Its modified drop-point blade also has a weight-reducing swedge located at the spine.

The handle is Twill Carbon Fiber with a Michael Walker LinerLock® for safe, secure lock up while adding a refined, Gentlemanly appearance. Inside are two full-length internal liners adding rigidity to the handle that has screw- together construction for adjustments or cleaning. A four-way hourglass clip lets you choose to carry the folder; tip-up/tip-down, left/right handed.

The fit and finish of this knife is superb and it comes razor sharp from the factory as you’d expect from a Spyderco.